Ah, February. It seems this is the time of year that my fibromyalgia begins to rear its ugly head again, mostly due to incoming rain. That's the reason I spent most of yesterday laying in bed and emerging only to eat buttermilk pancakes. Although this past week has been dreary due to pain, I managed to read quite a few books prior, which makes this update much more literature-focused.
Recent Acquisitions (or the Piling of the-Piles):
the-pile Additions:
None!
the-invisible-pile Additions:
The Edge of Physics: A Journey to Earth's Extremes to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe by Anil Ananthaswamy
This is a Kindle Daily Deal for today in the U.S.- I'm always looking to learn a bit more about everything, which would explain some of my recent nonfiction-book-buying binge.
The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
This is an alternate history novella with a rad cover that made me click 'buy'.
A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo
I've been reading a few memoirs lately, and I know little to nothing about the Vietnam war, so this seemed like a good book to pick up on it.
My Girls: A Lifetime with Carrie and Debbie by Todd Fisher
When my mom and I went to the
shelter and picked up Leia (who was then called Princess) it was clear she'd either be a Leia or a Carrie, as Carrie Fisher had recently passed away and my mom and I are both fans of hers. I tend to pick up books written about her or by her.
Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion by Neil Gaiman
...I am a Douglas Adams fan.
The Apprentice (Rizzoli & Isles #2) by Tess Gerritsen
I bought both this and the previous book in the series because I love the Rizzoli & Isles TV series. They are similar to the TV version in some ways so far, but definitely a bit different.
Skin Folk: Stories by Nalo Hopkinson
This has been on my Amazon wishlist for a while now, so I snagged it while it was on sale. This is a fantasy short story collection that was likely recommended to me somewhere, because I don't think I stumbled upon it organically.
Currently Reading:
Nothing. I am hoping to restart some of my physical copies of books, but with my current wreck of a fibro flare, I'm unsure that it'll happen.
Finished These Books:
This is a very short book to read, but an incredibly difficult one to read when you realize it's nonfiction. I had been meaning to read it for quite some time before I found it on sale and soon after set aside time for it. In a similar fashion, it's a difficult book to rate, but I ended up giving it four stars on Goodreads.
In 2017, I began to read Ms. Marvel, and as it is 2019, I decided to continue the series. I love this series for its simplicity and optimism, and the comics themselves are beautifully rendered. If you like YA books about superheroes, this is definitely a series I'd recommend.
Though I generally avoid mystery series in books, I decided to give this one a try because of the television series that I love (that uses this as source material). This is different from the TV series but was worth the read, as I liked the way in which it was different- you got more inside Rizzoli's head and she's much more bitter than she is portrayed to be in the TV series. I'm not sure if it's better or worse that I did watch the TV series first, but it's still enjoyable for me (though I watched the TV series a good 2+ years ago).
Another memoir I read, this one on a less difficult topic- transracial adoption. Nicole Chung is a Korean American adoptee whose adoptive parents were both white Americans, who raised her in a largely white town in the Pacific Northwest. After becoming pregnant with her first child, she decides to try and find her birth parents, and her journey through that is basically the contents of this book, along with her own ambivalent thoughts on transracial adoption. This is definitely a book worth reading if you are interested in adoption, or, like me, have someone in the family who is adopted.
In My Life:
As I mentioned, my fibromyalgia is being mean to me, so much of my activity is limited, but I did manage to get out to Ross (a discount retailer in the U.S.) and bought a large bag full of brand new clothes for $10, which is good for me as most of my clothes run slightly large on me from losing weight last year. In addition, I recently used up a Hobby Lobby gift card I got at Christmas to make my tea "corner" of the counter look much neater. I wish I had a before pic, but basically I de-boxed most of my foil-sealed tea bags to organize them in little plastic boxes in a half crate/tray that I plan on painting later.
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| Preferred brand: Stash, but I also began tea-drinking with Yogi tea |
As a side recommendation- if you ever get around to visiting northwestern Montana, you must stop at
Butterfly Herbs in Missoula, MT. It's the best tea shop in Montana and has a delightful neo-hippie vibe.
Happy eating to those of you celebrating the Super Bowl!
